The U.S. military has requested help from a local fire department in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, to investigate what caused Monday's explosion at a U.S. military warehouse, Kanagawa Gov. Yuji Kuroiwa said.
The move came amid growing frustration from local government leaders over the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which prevents Japanese authorities from investigating incidents that take place within U.S. military compounds.
A series of explosions that erupted at around 12:45 a.m. on Monday destroyed the one-story 900-sq.-meter warehouse at U.S. Army's Sagami Depot. No casualties have been reported.